Metallic cellular beverage case



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vvuFrIALLIc CELLULAR BEVERAGE CASE i Filed April s, 1948 l a sums- SHEET 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Oct.4 14, 1952 o. c. coLEs, JR

METALLIC CELLULAR BEVERAGE CASE 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 Filed April 9, 1948 VVV INVENTOR. Otls C. Coles, Jr. Mfg/Q ATTORN EYS.

Patented Oct. 14, 1952 OFFI CE METALLIC CELLULAR l,lnivlntlion oasi:V

Otis C. Coles, Jr., ElfPaso, Tex. Application April e, 1948, serial Nn. 19,966

, 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to beverage cases and is particularly well adapted for use in the storage and transportation `of'loeverages put Aup in bottles. Such cases, sometimes called flats usually each have cells for receiving two dozen bottles.

In my copending application for patent on beverage cases led concurrently herewith, Serial No. 19,965, I disclose forms of beverage cases made mainly of sheet material and heavy wire or rod reinforcing bands, whichmay be manufactured at a 'low cost, are durable, and light in'weight. Such cases are capable of vuse with detachable cell forming means, which, by way of example,

may be of the type disclosed and claimed in my 1 copending application for patent on bottle spacers for beverage cases, filed yconcurrently herewith, Serial No. 19,967. In rvthese copending applications, 'the forms specifically disclosed are particularly Well adapted to receive the bottles in several rows, the bottles of any one row being in (Cl. 'ZBO- 21) in'connection with the accompanying drawings,

side by side relation to the bottles of any adjacent row, as is the practice with wooden cases or flats now commonly used. l

Certain characteristics of the invention disclosed and claimed in -my aforesaid application for patent on beverage cases'may be utilized in the production of beverage cases made according to the present invention,rb'ut a principal object of this invention is to reduce the cost of -manufacture of the cases by providing novel reinforcing bands and novel bottle `spacing means associated therewith.' Beverage cases made according to the present invention provide cells in which bottles of any given row are' in staggered-relationyto the bottles of rany next adjacent row, thereby reducing the width of vthe case over those in common use and of equal capacity.

Another object is. to provide beverage cases which,.while preferably made to .each receive the standard number of twenty-four bottles, is novel in shape and appearance, being somewhat longer and narrower than the usual cases or flats, thus enabling a user to adopt lthis novel type of case to'distinguish his goods from othersror to distinguish a certain brand of his goods from another of his brands. l

A further object is .to provide beverage cases which, while having the bottle spacing means securely attached to the main body portions, rin contradistinction to being removable, as in the copending applications above referred to, may be readily freed of trash or foreign matter so likely to `accumulate in the cases ywhile in transit and storage or while laying about empty orfiilled with empty bottles.

forming a part of this specification `and in which drawingsi l n f Fig. l is a side elevational View of a beverage case constructed according 'to my invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are, respectively, atop planview and an end elevational view of the same.

Figs. 4 and 5 are, respectively, enlarged vertical I sectional views on the lines AlI--II and 5--5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in yplan of a reinforcing band suitable for luse as la part of the beverage case.k

Fig. '7 is an enlargedvertical sectionalview on substantially the line 1 'I of Fig. 5.

In the drawings a bodyportionk Il is shown, equipped with an upper reinforcing band I2, and a lower reinforcing band I3. These bands support cell formingmeans I4. `f

The body portion II may be made from Vone piece of sheet material, and comprises a gen-v erally rectangular bottom I5, and side and end walls I5 and I'I, respectively. The bottom I5 of generally rectangular, elongated formation, may be provided with longitudinally extending, upstruck, spaced, parallel ribs 20, yeach preferably of inverted V-shape cross section, to provide .a crown 2|, as shown in Fig. 5, and merging at substantially triangular shaped ends 22, into the main body of the bottom short of the ends `thereof as shown in Fig. 2. These ribs serve tocushion the bottoms of the bottles when they are beingr placed in `the case and during transportation, since the case 4body may bemade of material of such gauge Yas to yieldk slightly or have a limited amount of resiliency at the ribs when the bottles are dropped thereupon or vibrated during 'transportation'. The ribs also take up slack inthe sheet material and give additional rigidity v,to the bottom as a whole.

The bottom I5 is preferably provided with4 rrough handling, is alleviated since there are no rectangular bends of the body portion material at'corners.

The upper reinforcing'band I2, may be made an inward direction, and about the upper rein'- forcing band I2, as indicated at.29, to provide a handhole 30 at each end Wall beneath a run 3| of the reinforcing band, which latter serves as a handle for the case. Each wall III is also prefer-v tain of the off-sets 4| may be provided in the ably provided with slits extending from and below the sides of the handhole and the material between the slits is bent over to form a reinforcingflange 33.

'Ihe upper marginal portions of the side walls I6 are also curled overin an inward direction, and aboutthe upper reinforcing band I2, asindicated atA 32.` Thusfthese curled portions 29 andV 32 form beading at spaced lengths about the upper margin of the case...

The lower reinforcing band I3 may also be madeof heavy wire or rod material, and is disposed at the inside of the. body portion II` at the junctureof the bottom'I with the walls I6 and I'Il and is. preferably -of generally rectangular elongated shape so as to reinforce the lower portion of the body II... The corner portions are rounded asindicated at 34 and vtraverse the space between the ends of the walls I6 and I1. The reinforcing band maybe held in place by providing inverted U-shape cuts35 in thek walls I6 and I'I adjacent the band, andthe Amaterial within the bounds of each` ofQthe'secuts is curled inwardly and around the band as-v indicated at 36.

To this extent the bodyA portion of the case may be similar. in construction tov that disclosed in my aforesaid copending application, Serial No. 19,965 except that it is preferred to Vmake the former lrelatively long'andnarrow for the purpose hereinbefo'reset forth. n

The cell forming means 'I4 comprises an upper series of sinuous wires 38 disposed with the sinuations in a horizontal plane, and a lower series of sinuou'swires39 disposed with the sinuations in a horizontal plane. 'Ihese two series of wires are arrangedsotha't for each wire of the upper series thereis a'fwire'of the. lower series parallel thereto except at the end'portions'of the Wires. The 'wires .of eachs'eries are preferably arranged so thatsinuations lof1each,.wire are inverse tothe sinuations of each adjacent wire, thus providing a pluralityof, cells 40. for bottles, not shown in the drawing; which may rest on the ribs 20 as in the copending application Serial No. 19,965. VIt will be'noted, however, that in connection with the present invention the' cells are in staggeredrelation, thus making possible the productionof cases Vwhich are narrower thanthe usual cases of ats having equal' capacity.

Inorder that thev wires 38 and 39 may be economically and rigidly secured in place, I prefer to provide the Aupper reinforcingr band I2, at the ends of the case with a plurality of spaced off-sets or crimps 4I extending downwardly and inwardly toward the middle zone of the body portion, and the lower reinforcingk band I3 at the ends of the bottom I5 with a plurality of spaced off-sets or crimps 42 extending upwardly and inwardlyto- ,ward themiddle zone of the body portion. Certhen provided with slots 43 at their upper portions, exposing the bight portions 44 of the oflsets for connection with the sinuous wires 38 as hereinafter described.

It is also preferredl tov dispose the intermediate portions of the wires 38 containing the sinuations, rin a planewell below the topV of the case', and to accomplish?"this',4 the ends 'of each ywire may be bent upwardly as shown at 45 from its intermediate portion and secured to the band I2 by curls V or eyes 4 6 embracing the off-sets 4I at their bight portions 44. In this way the cases may be stacked -one upon another without likelihood of the wires 38 being damaged. The off-sets 4I also dispose the eyes well below the tops of the beads 29 so that they are not likely to be worn or damaged, since the gauge of the stock from which the wires ,38 are made being lessthan the gauge of the stock from whichA the reinforcing -band I2 is made. .i

It is also preferred .-todispose-the intermediate portions ofthe wires y3-9.containing the sinuations, in a plane well above the bottom I5 so as to effectively space the lower portions of any bottles placed in the cells and to permit of flushing of trash and foreign `matter thru the openings 23 and 24. Toaccomplish this, the ends of each wire 39 may be bent downward1y,.as shown at 48, from its intermediate :portion and secured'to the band. I3 by curls or eyes 49 embracing the off-sets 42. u V

These OHV-sets 4I and 42l prevent the Wires 38 and'39 from shifting laterallyr as doalso the material oftongues v23 at eachsideuof slots 43.

While -the embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes Va preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms may be adapted. all coming within the scope of the claims which follow. y Y j l. In a beverage casethe combination of an elongated body portion comprising a bottoml side a1f1g;ler 1d` walls,l and reinforcing bands at the upperends ofthe body portion-'said end walls each having -a cut-away portion open toits upper edge, v`intermediate'its sides, to rprovide a handhole with tongues at each side of the handhole, curled overandabout its respective-rein-4 forcing Vband; saidreinforcingY bands each provided with spacedyoff-,sets in the zones of the tonguesof its respective.sideY wall, said off-sets extending toward' the middle zone of the body portion, and said tongues provided with slots exposing the bight portions of the off-sets; and cell forming means rcomprising a series of sinuous wires disposed Vwith'the sinuations in a horizontal plane, and having theiriend portions'connected to said 'olf-sets fat the bight portions thereof.

. 2;"Inia beverage='ca`se,-the combination of an elongated body portion comprising a bottom, side and end walls, and reinforcing bands at the upper ends of the body pO'ltion, saidend Walls each hav"- ing a cut-away portion open to its upper edge, intermediate its sides, to provide a handhole with tongues at each side of the handhole, curled over and about its respective reinforcing band, said tongues of each endwall provided with slots at their upper portions Vexposing-portions of the respective reinforcing band intermediate the curled portionsg,and cellv forming means comprising -a series ofsinuous wiresrdisposed with their sinuations in a horizontal plane, and having their .end

, 5 portions connected to said reinforcing bar at said Number $10135. 697,537 OTIS C. COLES, JR. 1,769,019 1,992,411 REFERENCES CITED 5 2,157,276 The following references are of record in lthe 212391432 le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date 10 6.376

559,776 Gilpin May 5, 1896 Name Date Poirot Apr, 15, 1902 Flagstad July l, 1930 Bruce Feb. 2, 1935 Barrie May 9, 1939 Cocks Apr. 22, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain June 5, 1885 

